Compiz (and Gnome Shell) uses high CPU all the time

[Tobias Bradtke]

Unity is barely usable on Quantal because of Compiz using high cpu. Same for Gnome, there gnome-shell uses high cpu. On Precise everything worked fine.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.10
Package: compiz 1:0.9.8.2+bzr3377-0ubuntu1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.5.0-15.22-generic 3.5.4
Uname: Linux 3.5.0-15-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.5.2-0ubuntu4
Architecture: amd64
CompizPlugins: No value set for `/apps/compiz-1/general/screen0/options/active_plugins'
Date: Fri Sep 21 20:08:19 2012
DistUpgraded: Fresh install
DistroCodename: quantal
DistroVariant: ubuntu
EcryptfsInUse: Yes
GraphicsCard:
 Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] nee ATI Cape Verde [Radeon HD 7700 Series] [1002:683d] (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
   Subsystem: Device [2319:1787]
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 12.10 "Quantal Quetzal" - Alpha amd64 (20120905.2)
PackageArchitecture: all
ProcEnviron:
 TERM=xterm
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 LANG=de_DE.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/vmlinuz-3.5.0-15-generic root=/dev/mapper/ubuntu-root ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
SourcePackage: compiz
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
dmi.bios.date: 09/20/2006
dmi.bios.vendor: Award Software International, Inc.
dmi.bios.version: F5
dmi.board.name: 965P-DS4
dmi.board.vendor: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd.
dmi.board.version: x.x
dmi.chassis.type: 3
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnAwardSoftwareInternational,Inc.:bvrF5:bd09/20/2006:svn:pn:pvr:rvnGigabyteTechnologyCo.,Ltd.:rn965P-DS4:rvrx.x:cvn:ct3:cvr:
version.compiz: compiz 1:0.9.8.2+bzr3377-0ubuntu1
version.ia32-libs: ia32-libs N/A
version.libdrm2: libdrm2 2.4.39-0ubuntu1
version.libgl1-mesa-dri: libgl1-mesa-dri 9.0~git20120917.7cfd42ce-0ubuntu3
version.libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental: libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental N/A
version.libgl1-mesa-glx: libgl1-mesa-glx 9.0~git20120917.7cfd42ce-0ubuntu3
version.xserver-xorg-core: xserver-xorg-core 2:1.13.0-0ubuntu4
version.xserver-xorg-input-evdev: xserver-xorg-input-evdev 1:2.7.3-0ubuntu1
version.xserver-xorg-video-ati: xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:6.99.99~git20120913.8637f772-0ubuntu1
version.xserver-xorg-video-intel: xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.20.8-0ubuntu1
version.xserver-xorg-video-nouveau: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau 1:1.0.2-0ubuntu1

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

Please:
1. Copy the attached script to your home directory
2. Open a terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T)
3. Run: sudo sh dstack compiz >> compizcpu.txt
4. Repeat #3 many times.
5. Attach "compizcpu.txt" to this bug.

Thanks.

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

When done, please change the Status back to New.

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

Thanks Tobias. That shows most of the time your system is busy in swrast_dri.so, which means LLVMpipe and this is a duplicate of bug 1046497.

It's not likely we can make LLVMpipe much faster than it is any time soon. However you can avoid the problem completely if you install a graphics driver that:
  (a) Supports your GPU; and
  (b) Provides sufficient features to fully support Unity in hardware.

Please try running "jockey-gtk" and see if that gives you the option to install a better graphics driver.

[Tobias Bradtke (webwurst)]

Daniel, thanks for looking at this. At the moment i can not install the fglrx-drivers because of bug #1032672.

I just read about the state of the matching open-source drivers to my graphics card here and they seem to be ready yet:
http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=MTE3MDY

In the LLVMpipe bug #1046497 it says compiz uses ~8% when idle. But on my System it uses at least 80% up to 200% when idle.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.